Pages

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Now Hiring Writers!

***Contest below

During
the 1930’s, the United States was in the pit of The Great Depression. In 1932,
one-third of Americans were out of work. In big cities, fifty percent were
jobless. President Franklin Roosevelt’s Work Progress Administration helped to
alleviate the country’s unemployment by creating jobs. One part of the WPA was
the formation of the Federal Writers' Project, part of a program for the arts,
also called Federal One. The project provided employment for historians,
teachers, writers, librarians, and other white-collar workers.

The initial
purpose of the project was to produce a series of sectional guide books under
the name American Guide series, focusing on the scenic, historical, cultural,
and economic resources of the United States.

Some 6000 individuals were employed
by the FWP, including archaeologists, geologists and cartographers. The most
well-known publications produced by the FWP were the 48 state guides to
America. In each state, a Writer’s Project staff of editors worked with a
larger group of field workers.

Each guide book was comprised of
essays, folklore, farming and industry information and maps. Descriptions of
places and tales of local history were included. In an effort to gather such
information, the writers interviewed thousands of people who shared their own
personal stories. The plight of sharecroppers, migrants, minorities, and others
affected by the depression were honestly told and documented by writers who
tried to give an authentic picture of the culture. John Steinbeck’s book TheGrapes
of Wrath was inspired by these stories.

In the 1930’s, 100,000 former slaves
were still living. Interviews and photos collected from 2300 of them became a
specialized volume called the Slave
Narrative Collection.

A few state governors took offense at
the guide books of their states which revealed unflattering aspects and tried
to stop them from further publication. In addition, the president’s projects
faced criticism from conservatives who especially targeted the FWP as a waste
of money. As war erupted around the world, some congressmen warned that
subversives had infiltrated the U.S. and the House Committee on Un-American
Activities was formed. Several writers employed by the Writers Project were
under fire for writing material that was unfavorable to the country.

The Federal Writers Project ended in
1939, and when the U.S. entered World War II in Dec., 1941, unemployment was no
longer a problem. Some states continued the Writers Project with their own
funds until 1943.

***Thanks to author Lisa Wingate, I learned about the Federal Writers Project. Her latest release, The Seakeeper's Daughters, gives wonderful insight into the lives of these writers. Leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of the book.***

A multi-published author, Marilyn Turk writes historical fiction about the coastal
South. Her fascination for lighthouses spawned her popular weekly lighthouse
blog @pathwayheart.com, and inspired her upcoming Coastal Lights Legacy series
and her Lighthouse Devotions. Her novel, A
Gilded Curse, will be released March 2016 from Heritage Beacon Fiction, an
imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas.

26 comments:

Lisa Wingate is an awesome writer.I heard about the Federal Writers project as a young girl from my great Aunt Sue.There was plans in one of the books for an odorless outhouse.She gave the plans to my father who was a missionary to Mecico.As a result we had a handsome double two hole composting toilet in the early 1950'sLinda Rainey linderellarAt yahoo

My father graduated from high school in 1933 and I was born in 1936. Those were rough times.I vaguely remember my grandmother Miller talking about the Federal Writers Project around the end of the War and how she wished it still existed, but don't remember much about it. Thanks for the information. It brings back memories of those days. Lisa Wingate is a terrific writer, and anyone who wins this book will find it a great read.

Hi Martha, Thanks for the feedback. I don't remember my parents saying anything about the Depression, even though they lived through it., How neat that your grandmother was aware of it and appreciated it. Fortunately, some of the writing is still preserved.

I had never heard of the FWP until I read of the story behind Lisa's book. A few years ago, I heard of an organization that was recording interviews with people and storing them for preservation. I wish I knew more about it, and wonder if it may have been influenced by the FWP. My parents and grandparents have told stories of their experiences during the depression, however, I don't remember them mentioning the FWP.

A historical book, on the small town in which I reside, was published this year. Both sides of my family have always lived in this immediate area - my mother, father, and aunt (each over 90 years of age) were interviewed for info re: the book. Many photos my family had taken were included in the book. For about 70 years, my parents have lived on farm land that has been in our family for numerous generations - land that has remnant reminders of the Civil War and Indian tribes.

I love Lisa's writing and her story lines, can't wait to read 'The Seakeeper's Daughters'! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

I have never been that fascinated with history, but Lisa Wingate has changed that. It was because of her book "The Story Keeper" that I became fascinated with the Melungeons and wanted to learn more about them. When I got an ARC of "The Sea Keeper's Daughters" and learned about the FWP and the Lost Colony, my interest was immediately captured. I have spent a number of hours off and on looking through some of the FWP archives (have them bookmarked) and find them fascinating. I stay more interested in history when there are historical documents and letters to read. Thank you for sharing this with us.

European Union Countries

This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. Learn more here.

Mid-Month Madness

Coming November 15th

WINNERS!

********************NOVEMBER WINNERS!

********************

Melanie Backus has won A Secret Courage by Tricia Goyer, given by Cindy K. Stewart.

Caryl won a copy of The Plum Blooms in Winter by Linda Thompson

Allison B. won a copy of Thanksgiving in the Valley donated by Martha Rogers

MMMADNESS BLOG PARTY WINNERS

Marilyn Ridgeway won The Abolitionist's Daughter by Kathleen L Maher

Megs MInutes won Sword of the Matchmaker by Debbie Lynne CostelloBrenda won White by Denise WeimerSonnetta Jones won Fields of the Fatherless by Elaine CooperTrixi won Bandolero by Nancy FarrierLucy Reynolds won Christmas at Stoney Creek by Martha RogersCaryl Kane won Snowangel by Davalynn SpencerTeri Divincenzo won The Plum Blooms in Winter by Linda Thompson

Tarissa won Solve by Christmas by Amber Schamel

Kim Hansen won The Great Lakes LIghthouse Brides Collection with Kathy Rouser

*******************

OCTOBER WINNERS!

*******************

Kim Henson won choice of Debbie Lynne Costello's books

CONGRATULATIONS!

GIVEAWAY RULES

Winners will be notified by email and the winners name will be announced in the days comments. No one under 18 can enter our give aways. No purchase is necessary.All winners have one week to claim their prize. USA shipping only. Offer void where prohibited. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants.

Blog Archive

GDPR and Cookies

This site uses cookies from Google to deliver its services, to personalize ads and to analyze traffic. Information about your use of this site is shared with Google. By using this site, you agree to its use of cookies. Learn more here.